Friday, July 9, 2010

WASHINGTON, June 30, 2010 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that disaster assistance will be issued starting today to livestock, honeybee and farm-raised fish producers that suffered losses in 2008 because of disease, adverse weather or other conditions. The aid will come from the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP).

“American farmers, ranchers and producers should have protection from market disruptions and disasters,” Vilsack said. “The assistance announced today will be particularly helpful to beekeepers whose bees suffered from Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and will also assist other producers facing economic challenges.”

More than $10 million in disaster assistance, including more than $6 million to compensate beekeepers for 2008 losses will be issued starting today, June 30. Under the program, producers are compensated for losses that are not covered under other Supplemental Agricultural Disaster Assistance Payment programs established by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, specifically Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), and Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) Program. ELAP benefits related to 2009 losses are expected to be issued later this summer.

ELAP eligibility provisions have been amended for both honeybee and farm-raised fish producers. The modifications include allowing honeybee and farm-raised fish producers who did not replace their honeybees or fish that were lost due to a natural disaster to be eligible for ELAP payments based on the fair market value of the honeybees or fish that were lost. For more information about USDA Farm Service Agency disaster assistance programs, please visit your FSA county office or http://www.fsa.usda.gov/elap

Monday, March 29, 2010

This is most likely the shortest blog in history. I don't have anything to say except I hope you can stomach this and be sure to tell all of your friends and relatives about this.Check out this web site:

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The whiskered, bottom-feeding catfish is one of the lowliest creatures on Earth. But for months, catfish have been at the center of an intense Washington lobbying effort pitting domestic producers against importers.

At issue is how catfish will be regulated and whether Vietnamese imports pose a health risk to American consumers. U.S. catfish producers used a multimillion-dollar lobbying effort to persuade Congress in 2008 to tighten regulation of the single species of fish, a program expected to incur $5 million to $16 million in start-up costs with its launch next year.

The battle has sparked threats of a trade war from Vietnam, which wants its fish excluded from the regulations. The Vietnamese ambassador to the United States, Le Cong Phung, has called Congress hypocritical for changing the rules on catfish to give an advantage to domestic producers.

Under the farm bill passed in 2008, catfish inspections are moving to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has spent 18 months crafting regulations. The rules, which are still secret, might be approved by the Office of Management and Budget as early as Tuesday. All other fish remain under the purview of the Food and Drug Administration.

Domestic catfish producers argue that tougher regulation -- which would increase onsite inspections and testing -- would force foreign producers to adhere to safety standards more in line with those that domestic producers must follow.

"We are just looking to be on the same playing field," said Joey Lowery, president of the Mississippi-based Catfish Farmers of America.

But some aquaculture experts have jeered at the wrangling.

"It's laughable. Why single catfish out? No one is eating raw catfish sushi. This is a very, very low-risk product," said Byron Truglio, a retired consumer safety officer with the FDA's Division of Seafood Safety, who advised the USDA on its inspection program.

The catfish wars have been brewing since 2002, when Congress passed a farm bill barring Vietnamese fish farmers from labeling their fish as catfish. The Vietnamese fish is from the genus Pangasius; the law mandated that only fish in the Ictaluridae family, which is produced in the United States and is commonly called channel catfish, could bear the catfish label. The two fish have a similar taste.

"That fish and ours are as close taxonomically as a house cat and a cow," said Henry Gantz, former president of the Catfish Institute, a trade group representing domestic producers.

By 2008, when another farm bill made its way through Congress, Americans were eating slightly less domestically produced catfish than they had in 2002. But consumption of Pangasius -- which is typically called basa at fish markets -- had skyrocketed. Price was a factor. Wholesale, basa sells for $1.75 to $2 per pound, while channel catfish goes for a dollar more.

Domestic trade groups tried a new tactic. They argued that a more rigorous catfish inspection program was needed to improve foreign farming practices, especially in Vietnam. Though they had fought in 2002 to bar Pangasius from bearing the catfish label, by 2008 they did an about-face, calling it "imported catfish" that should be included in the USDA program. Sen. Thad Cochran (R), whose home state of Mississippi is the nation's catfish capital, led the charge, helping to insert bill language that called for the USDA to include catfish and "amenable species." Cochran also provided a $16 million earmark.

The domestic producers cited food-safety concerns. The FDA has found banned pesticides and antibiotics in some catfish imported from Vietnam, but no deaths have been linked to imported catfish. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show that fish in general account for 3 percent of the nation's salmonella-related deaths.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who has faced intense pressure from all sides, has been charged with sorting out the issues. Vilsack declined to answer questions posed by The Washington Post. (USDA officials said that because the department is still developing the program, details are confidential.)

A draft copy of the rules obtained by The Post shows that the USDA decided that Vietnamese fish should be included in the new program, a move likely to generate fierce opposition from importers.

The draft also states that the catfish regulatory program would save an estimated 36 lives annually from salmonella-related deaths. The safety claims -- which are not supported by CDC data -- were ratcheted down in later drafts, according to sources familiar with the rulemaking work.

USDA officials would not say whether the safety claims are in the final version they submitted to the Office of Management and Budget.

If the rules are posted as expected this month, foreign catfish producers predicted fireworks.

"The industry is going to speak loudly," said Gavin Gibbons, spokesman for the National Fisheries Institute, which represents foreign producers. "We will highlight some of the absurdities that account for this broad definition of catfish and the lobbying effort that was behind it."

Friday, February 12, 2010

The jobs proposalWhat’s in ▸Hiring tax credits - Exempts businesses hiring unemployed workers in 2010 from the 6.2 percent Social Security payroll tax for those hires and provides an additional $1,000 tax credit for workers retained for a full year. Cost: $13 billion.

▸Highway programs - Reauthorizes the highway trust fund to use gasoline taxes to help state and local governments pay for highway and transit projects. Deposits an additional $20 billion into the trust fund.

▸Equipment write-offs - Permits businesses to write off equipment purchases as a business expense.

▸Tax extenders - Extending through 2010 a variety of popular tax breaks that expired at the end of 2009, including a deduction for sales and property taxes and a business tax credit for research and development.

▸Patriot Act - Extending for a year several provisions of the Patriot Act.

▸Farm aid - Help for farmers affected by heavy rains, floods, and other weather-related disasters.

Cost: about $1.5 billion.The rapprochement lasted about four hours.

By evening, Senate majority leader Harry Reid of Nevada had a new bill and a renewed message. Instead of supporting a plan that some said was bloated with special interest money, Democratic leaders proposed a stripped-down version they contended was strictly focused on the number one priority for Americans: jobs.

Gone were provisions sought by several industries, including health care and biofuel, and supported by senators from both sides of the aisle.

Gone, too, was a spirit of bipartisanship. Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa and Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, had earlier hailed the original draft as an essential two-party effort to respond to a troubled economy. “We believe they reflect a balanced set of member views and priorities,’’ the two senators said in a joint statement, which warned colleagues not to significantly alter the plan if they wanted bipartisan support.

The White House added, “The president is gratified to see the Senate moving forward in a bipartisan manner on steps to help put Americans back to work.’’

Yet, stung by criticism of several of the draft’s proposals, Democratic leaders balked. Their latest bill keeps several popular provisions, including a new tax break negotiated with Republicans for companies that hire unemployed workers and for small businesses that purchase new equipment. The bill also would renew highway programs and help states and local governments finance large infrastructure projects.

The bipartisan agreement is off. But Democrats said they now have a package focused solely on creating jobs, and they’re all but daring Republicans to vote against it.

“Our side isn’t sure that the Republicans are real interested in developing good policy and to move forward together,’’ said Senator Thomas Carper, Democrat of Delaware.

Said Reid: “Republicans are going to have to make a choice. I don’t know in logic what they could say to oppose this.’’

The original, bigger bill got a decidedly mixed reception at a raucous luncheon meeting of Democrats, many of whom were uncomfortable with supporting a measure containing so many provisions unrelated to creating jobs, including loans for chicken producers and aid to catfish farmers.

The centerpiece of Reid’s new bill is a $13 billion payroll tax credit for companies that hire unemployed workers. The idea, by Senators Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, and Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah, would exempt businesses hiring unemployed workers this year from the 6.2 percent Social Security payroll tax for those hires.

It also would provide an additional $1,000 tax credit for workers retained for a full year and deposit an additional $20 billion into the federal highway trust fund - money that would have to be borrowed. There’s also $2 billion to subsidize bond issues by state and local governments for large infrastructure projects.

But Republicans are irate at the strong-arm tactics and said Reid had gone back on a deal reached with some of the Senate’s heaviest hitters, including minority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

“Needless to say, Senator Hatch is deeply disappointed that the majority leader has abandoned a genuine bipartisan compromise only hours after it was unveiled in favor of business-as-usual partisan gamesmanship,’’ said Antonia Ferrier, Hatch spokeswoman.

PINE BLUFF (February 11) – Catfish farmers in Arkansas and elsewhere have seen higher feed costs eat away at their profits. A 2009 feed study by the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center of Excellence at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff could help producers make better choices about fish diets.

Catfish farmers have been dealing with higher feed costs driven by higher soybean, corn and wheat prices. The previous five-year average cost of feed was $235 per ton, but in 2008 most farmers paid between $375 and $425 a ton. To try to reduce those costs, the Arkansas-based feed mill ARKAT Nutrition Inc. along with Aquaculture/Fisheries Center nutritionist Dr. Rebecca Lochmann, are testing traditional diets along with some new catfish feed formulations. Dr. Carole Engle, center director and aquaculture economist, is doing economic analysis on the results of the studies.

“Feed prices have been going up, but catfish prices remain static so farmers asked if we could use cheaper diets and still get good yield,” Dr. Lochmann said.

The pond study, conducted May 2009 to October 2009, focused on catfish that were fed three different 28 percent protein diets: premium, standard or sub-optimal.

The Aquaculture/Fisheries Center tested their performance to give producers good information with which to make decisions. Less costly, but still reliable feed could translate into an improved bottom line for fish farmers across Arkansas and beyond, Dr. Lochmann said.

According to study results, harvested fish that ate the premium diet, weighed more, on average, than fish that ate either the standard diet or sub-optimal diet. The average weight of fish that ate the standard diet was higher than the fish that ate the sub-optimal diet. However, all of the fish were of marketable size.

The most important finding in terms of profit, was that yield of fish that ate the premium diet was similar to that of fish that ate the standard diet. However, the yield of the fish fed the premium diet was significantly higher than the yield of those fed the sub-optimal diet.

At the beginning of the study, the estimated costs of the diets were $344 a ton for the premium; $317 a ton for the standard and $307 a ton for the sub-optimal. A partial budget analysis showed a savings of $91 per acre from using the standard diet rather than the premium diet.

Nearly 350 Mississippi fish farmers received funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Aquaculture Grant Program this year. Supported with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the program provided financial assistance during the most demanding part of the growing season for catfish.

“The grant money couldn’t have come at a better time for us,” said Turner Arant, one of the first fish farmers in Mississippi. “With 19 ponds we use a lot of feed and it’s getting harder and harder [to maintain].”

Arant’s family-run farm opened its first pond in 1962. This year he closed a few of them because production and maintenance costs became too great. “We are concentrating on fewer ponds, trying to be as efficient as we can,” he said.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 authorized up to $50 million to USDA to implement the Aquaculture Grant Program administered by the Farm Service Agency. The statewide program was coordinated by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, or MDAC, with cooperation from the state Farm Service Agency.

Through the grant program, a feed credit system was instituted that allowed farmers to receive up to $100,000 in credit on feed purchased in 2008. MDAC set up an account at a mill chosen by the farmer and the farmer would call to place an order when feed was needed. The mill would send an invoice to MDAC for payment, which was dispersed after statements were cross-checked and confirmed.

“The program is doing exactly what it was designed to do — help stimulate the aquaculture industry,” said Andy Prosser, director of market development and public relations at MDAC. “This is being done by keeping existing farmers in business, keeping aquaculture related jobs secure and helping an industry remain viable.”

The Mississippi Delta is home to the largest catfish production in the United States. With 87,300 acres of production and 5,000 catfish produced per acre, the grants allowed many farmers to stay in business.

“I was worried I would have to lay off folks and this is a rural area; if they don’t work for me I don’t know where they would go,” said second generation fish farmer Kent Toler, who raises fingerlings to stock fish farms around the country.

Toler said the grant money kept him from having to layoff 22 employees, some who have been with him from the beginning of his operation more than 20 years ago.

“People don’t realize that we can lose our whole operation overnight. If the oxygen level drops too fast and we can’t get the aerators going fast enough a whole pond of fish can be lost in just a few hours,” said Toler. “We don’t have insurance for that, it’s just the way the business is, so this grant money really helped ease our minds for a bit.”

Joe Olgesby agreed, but added that the cost of feed isn’t the only thing going up. “When the cost of feed doubles in a year all the other costs go up too, including diesel to run the equipment and hauling costs,” said Olgesby, whose Mississippi farm includes row crops as well as fish. “The grant allowed us to level out our cash flow for a couple of months. With the USDA payment limit, I went through my feed allowance in about two weeks but it was two weeks I was able to take care of other things.”

According to the USDA Agricultural Statistics Board more than 343,666 tons of feed were delivered in Mississippi in 2008, with an estimated cost of about $330 per ton. Three years ago, feed cost about $240 per ton. But feed buying in Mississippi is a cash-only operation forcing producers to secure a line of credit with the bank.

“The farmer orders his feed, we get it to him and run a charge against his line of credit,” said Lester Myers, owner and operator of Delta Western Feed Mill. “The jump in feed costs, fuel costs and transportation costs all hit at the same time, but the price of catfish didn’t double so the banker didn’t see how to increase the line of credit. In reality it got tighter because the margin of profit was cut substantially,” he said.

Myers said the increase in price for feed has caused his company to implement cost-cutting measures. Each day Myers shuts down some of his larger equipment between 3-7 p.m., which are peak hours for electricity use. This has helped save customers $2 on each ton of feed.

Overall, Myers said the grants have benefitted the aquaculture business. “This program was a real blessing to the industry,” he said. “Allowing a farmer to feed for a month on the grant money allowed his line of credit to rebuild. These farmers sell fish all the time, but if you are spending more than what is coming in, well it doesn’t take long until you are out of business.”